The battle on the fourteenth floor was quite intense, especially now that Jason only has one Midgod of Fate Divine Clone, and the Divine Power his four clones has been largely depleted.
It took Jason a year to accumulate divine Divine Power before he set off for the fifteenth level.
Jason had tried to pursue the mid- Wind Element Midgod but clearly couldn't catch up. Jason placed a defensive magic circle at the entrance as a precaution, and then entered the entrance to the fifteenth floor.
The fifteenth floor is a verdant world, with lush vegetation, birdsong, and fragrant flowers.
The entrance is located in a cave at the top of a small hill.
Jason glanced around briefly; there were only ordinary monsters, no special landmarks.
A thorough search of the surrounding area and underground with his divine sense revealed no ambush.
Jason carefully drew up defensive magic circles around the area as his escape route.
Jason only stopped when the entire hill was covered with a magic array.
Flying close to the ground, Jason cautiously observed his surroundings. The endless primeval jungle, with towering trees covering the entire land, led Jason to deduce that this layer was likely inhabited by some kind of mythical beast or a nature-friendly creature similar to an elf.
As Jason cautiously walked through the woods, he suddenly noticed the surrounding plants shift slightly, creating a straight path.
Without the forest obstructing his view, Jason's gaze fell directly on the center of this small plane, where a colossal tree, immense in size and brimming with astonishing life energy, stood.
"I didn't release my divine sense just now, and I actually overlooked the fact that all the trees in this forest have the same aura." Jason sighed as he flew towards the giant tree.
Clearly, the trees here were all created by the guardians of this level, essentially serving as his eyes and ears. Now, there's nowhere left to hide in the fourteenth level of the Necropolis of the Gods, so Jason has no choice but to face the guardians of this level head-on.
"My name is Pan. How shall I address you, outsider?" the giant tree, who called himself Pan, asked in a friendly manner via Soul Transmission.
The fact that the other party can extend their Midgod sense to this distance indicates that they have a deep understanding of the soul and can significantly increase the range of their divine sense.
"Jason." Although the giant tree seemed friendly, Jason didn't say much.
From its appearance, the trunk and leaves of this giant tree resemble those of a willow tree more, and there are a dozen bright red fruits on its branches that look very tempting.
"Don't be so tense. Perhaps you, as an outsider, don't understand, but as a tree, I don't have much desire to leave this place. To me, growing quietly is enough. It's the same whether I'm here or outside." The giant tree seemed to genuinely have no intention of fighting, showing absolutely no tension before battle.
Jason checked his surroundings again. These differentiated trees had no souls or Divine Power, and were completely incapable of launching an attack. The only thing within his divine sense range that possessed combat power was the giant tree itself.
"Then, would you be so kind as to grant me the treasure on this level?"
Jason valued the reward for clearing the fifteenth floor very much.
It should be noted that only the fourteenth and fifteenth levels are guarded by Midgod, while the rewards for the next level are High Godhead and Highgod Artifact; the rewards for this level must be more valuable than Divine Spark, so they are probably the Sovereign’s Might, Soul Defense Divine Artifact, or some treasures from the Higher Planes.
Jason tends to favor the Sovereign’s Might, because Beirut, as the main Sovereign, offers the best value for his Sovereign’s Might; and given the precedent of Jason being unable to use the Coiling Dragon Ring, he no longer has much hope for Soul Defense Divine Artifact.
"I can make way, but I have one request: after you obtain the treasure on this level, please show it to me. Don't misunderstand, I've been guarding this place for five thousand years, and that treasure has been there for five thousand years. I want to know what exactly I've been guarding for these five thousand years."
"Okay," Jason agreed verbally, but he remained wary.
To his surprise, the giant tree that called itself "Pan" was unexpectedly accommodating, not only making way for him but also shrinking its body to a height of only a dozen meters, gliding lightly along the ground to a distance.
"Thank you." Jason nodded slightly, then cautiously flew towards the altar at the center of the small plane.
Jason remained ready to fight at any moment, but there were no ambushes until he entered the altar, and he easily found the treasures on this level.
"So easy." Jason was a little incredulous.
He had previously planned to retreat temporarily if he couldn't win, and then cultivate in the two-level passage until the final year before returning. His Water Clone was only one step away from becoming Midgod. If he could break through, he could even challenge Five-Star Fiend.
As for the sixteenth floor, Jason dared not enter no matter what. The area guarded by the Highgod only has three floors. Jason had reason to believe that Beirut personally guarded the eighteenth floor, so the sixteenth and seventeenth floors probably correspond to the Seven Star Fiend and the Asura-level Highgod!
Unexpectedly, we've already achieved our predetermined goal after only two and a half years in the Necropolis of the Gods!
"Lord Jason, what's inside?" Pan's voice came from outside the altar.
His giant tree trunk had returned to the outside of the altar; it seemed he did not enjoy transforming into human form.
This is common among Deity-level. After all, there are many races in countless planes, and many Deity-level do not identify with the human body. As long as the Divine Artifact is crafted according to the characteristics of one's own body, it will not have much impact on combat.
Jason looked at the circular platform in the center of the altar. "Can't you use your divine sense to investigate?"
"I've explored it before; there were only two Interspatial Ring, and I have no idea what's inside."
Those were indeed two rings, with almost no elemental fluctuations, and they looked like two Interspatial Ring that had not yet been claimed by any owner.
Jason picked up one of them, a pure black ring. "I know this material. ' Dragon Soul Tungsten ' is a metal abundant in the Dark God Plane, and also found in the Netherworld and Infernal Realm. It's generally formed from the blood of dragon corpses that seeps into and accumulates underground in cemeteries where large numbers of dragons are buried, and is influenced by Elemental Darkness. It's a high-quality forging material for Darkness Element Divine Artifact."
"Your Excellency is truly knowledgeable. Could you perhaps be from Higher Planes?" Pan's voice was calm, without the slightest hint of greed.
"I have two avatars who accompanied our family elders to the Netherworld, where I collected various precious materials and books."
"So, this ring isn't Interspatial Ring?"
"It shouldn't be; it might be a Divine Artifact." Jason put it on his hand and then dripped blood to bind it to him.
Within the sea of consciousness shimmering with golden light, a transparent yet sturdy protective shield slowly appeared, enveloping the spherical soul and its several clones within it; at the same time, protective shields also appeared within the souls of the Lightning Element and death clones in the Netherworld.
"It really is Soul Defense Divine Artifact! I can't use the Coiling Dragon Ring, but I can use this one. What's the working principle behind it?"
Jason had no idea about the details of crafting the Soul Defense Divine Artifact, nor did he know how Beirut had crafted this Soul Defense Divine Artifact that was suitable for his soul.
"Mr. Jason?"
Jason turned and looked through the altar's exit at the giant tree outside. "Oh, my soul has changed somewhat; this Divine Artifact seems to nourish it. Uh—did you ever have followers?"
"There have been some in the past. My race is called Red-Fruit Green Willow, and I was born in a world called ' Daxia Plane.' There were some believers in that plane back then."
Jason nodded. "This ring functions similarly to the Power of Faith, nourishing my soul and aiding in its defense. However, it doesn't seem very strong; perhaps it's because I haven't yet gained the approval of its spirit."
"Such an Divine Artifact! This is truly eye-opening."
Jason nodded in agreement. "I'd only heard about it before; this is the first time I've seen it. My strength is too low to access such a special Divine Artifact in the Netherworld."
"And the other one?" Pan asked.
Jason picked up another ring. "It's Interspatial Ring, filled with Floating Shadow?"
"Floating Shadow?"
"Yes, the Floating Shadow of powerful warriors in battle, a total of one hundred Floating Shadow, all images of battles fought by top-tier Highgod."
Seeing that the other party meant no harm, Jason sat down on the round platform and watched the Floating Shadow one after the other across the altar's exit.